Pierre Rolland missed out on a big chance to win the Volta a Catalunya when he lost more than 5 minutes in the queen stage.

"It was a very complicated day," he wrote on Facebook. "The team gave me a lot of support but the race was very fast due to the pace byt big teams like Astana, QuickStep, Tinkoff-Saxo and Sky. I have always struggled with the first major climbs of the season, especially with the altitude and the cold.

"I have no excuses. I know I'm not 100% and I am human. I try to do the best I can with the shape I have but hey, I always try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."